Amoskeag XX brand

[beatle]

Bumping this thread back to life..I was at the store a couple of weeks ago while in NYC...met mr. amoskeag himself....

Amazing denim - amazing details...I'm gonna post some more pics of the jeans soon

In the meantime - website is up and running - some rally cool items...

Check out the seamless tube jeans

http://amoskeagxx.com

[iamstarwars]

Good bump, I've been interested in Amoskeag for a while now. I heard Context is stocking the brand soon, it will be interesting to see what they offer.

[rnrswitch]

So this company is just using the name? I like the concept, but they really should work on the lighting for the pictures of their jeans. I can't really tell if I like them. They definitely have a bit of a different look to them.

[Snake]

I really like those seamless tube jeans. Looks like more vintage cut with mid-rise from the website. Can't wait for those pics, Beatle. Do you know if they use natural indigo or synthetic indigo?

[beatle]

Gonna snap some pictures in a sec...

I know that a few items (check out the seamless work shirt ) are handdyed using natural indigo.

http://amoskeagxx.com/collections/outerwear/852/

Actually - the seamless tube jeans are also true indigo - which I believe is his term for natural indigo

[Paul T]

You are very knowlegable!

There is still no solid evidence whether Cone was exclusively using natural or synthetic indigo during the period in question, 1900 -1920. Certainly when Proximity started in 1896 it would have used natural indigo particularly because synthetic indigo did not become profitably commercially marketed and available until at least 1897. There is also the question of whether Cone would have used synthetic indigo during World War I. Was there a non-German source for synthesized indigo at this time?

AS you might know by now, Cone have been looking into this. It's possible that Cone might still have used synthetic indigo during WWI, despite lack f availability of th German product, via a Canadian supplier.

Beatle, does this new company have any connection at all with the old one, or are they just harnessing the association of a resonant name?

[rnrswitch]

From their website it doesn't look like they have any connection to the old mills other than the name. Although, I have a penchant for being wrong these days.

[frideswide]

AS you might know by now, Cone have been looking into this. It's possible that Cone might still have used synthetic indigo during WWI, despite lack f availability of th German product, via a Canadian supplier.

.

It's quite interesting, because both Germany and the UK (and, from 1917, the US) circumvented war-time trade embargoes on many commodities through Canada. Besides synthetic indigo passing from Germany to the US through Canada, nickel (then virtually unavailable in Europe) passed to Germany from Canadian smelters at a time when England was already at war. They seem boring, those Canadians, but they are not.

.

[beatle]

I'm sure there has to be some connection - or else I doubt they'd be using the name...

anyways - took some pics -

the denim itself is really interesting.

It has some slubyness - and it looks like almost 2 different dyeing processes have been used. some streaks seem to be almost purple verses the reg. indigo tone..

Button fly

the back of the leg is made of sanforized denim - and the front is raw denim - supposed to prevent you from stepping on the leg

Backpocket design

construction detail

white selvage line

and the nicest detail - pocket bags...stained/ dyed

_____________________________

[drapygo]

hmmm, i would love to see more of the seamless one.

wow, natural indigo too?!?! mmm

but that is interesting, raw / sanf. denim.

i wish they had smaller sizes!

[beatle]

lol..the seamless pants are about $ 800....maybe Kiya can run down to the store and take some pictures...

[drapygo]

$800?!?!?! i thought it was roughly $500!!!!! i don't know about $800.......

[Opie]

Well their homepage says 498usd?

http://amoskeagxx.com/collections/category/2008-collection/bottoms/

[beatle]

still pretty expensive...I thought the sign in the store said $775...

[Paul T]

There's an OK feautre in the NY times which features Amoskeag XX... story is bla, the pricetags are wtf, (especially when in the UK you can buy a lot of cool victorian stuff for zilch, I saw an amazing stereo viewer in mahogany this morning for £35) but the photos are great - they use the old tintype process:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/12/fashion/12CODES.html?_r=1

...& here's the diirect link for the Tintype slideshow

[rnrswitch]

I'm at work so I haven't read the article, but any word on whether or not this brand has any connection to the old mills or is it just riding the coat tails?

[Paul T]

They say they're "continuing the tradition" of the old Amoskeag XX, but give no detail about where, for instance, the denim comes from, so I suspect there's no connection bar featuring a few photos of the old mill on their website.

I would love to be wrong, and discover they've tracked down a few of the workers laid off in the 50s and fired up some old Drapers...

[kiya]

They say they're "continuing the tradition" of the old Amoskeag XX, but give no detail about where, for instance, the denim comes from, so I suspect there's no connection bar featuring a few photos of the old mill on their website.

I would love to be wrong, and discover they've tracked down a few of the workers laid off in the 50s and fired up some old Drapers...

This is exactly it, there is absolutely no connection between the mill of many years ago and the brand of today.

Kenji, the designer/owner, is Japanese, all the denim is Japanese and fairly "forward" looking.

They're moving much of the production to America and they're going to start using Cone denim shortly.

[pacioli]

The seamless denim is apparently very difficult to weave (I can imagine why) and likely won't be remade. I heard they actually broke a loom making this yardage. Kenji is a mill fanatic through and through. In fact he has a new, more moderately priced jean called Mill Worker.

As I have long dreamed of producing a jean called Loomfixer (one of the highest paid and most respectable floor positions in the mills of old) I very much respect his work.

I can see the seamless denim is also a mill romantic's homage to the seamless bags woven on old shuttle looms. I am very happy he made it and wish Amoskeag XX much success.

[rnrswitch]

What do they mean by "seamless?" Did I miss something? The denim looks very interesting and I would like to know what the difference in the denim is or mainly what the difference is in the manufacturing process. It would be nice to see them move their production over here and maybe revamp the "schmatta" business a bit and put Cone to work creating some interesting denim.

After looking over their website the front pleated engineer jeans look pretty cool. i wonder what they look like on, with the front pleats and all.

[pacioli]

the jean has seams but it's made with denim that was woven as a narrow tube. So part of the leg is seamless tube. Here are some old pics: http://denimnews.blogspot.com/2008/07/amoskeag-xx-amoskeag-manufacturing.html

Doing this on a shuttle loom that normallly weaves denim requires some serious modifications (additional harnesses that may need to move independently). The easier way would be to get an old loom already configured to weave seamless (aka "pillow tubing") fabrics but that requires a hefty investment.

[drapygo]

wow! i would def. get a pair if they still have it after i finish breaking in flatheads4001.

[rnrswitch]

So it's woven like some t-shirts are woven? Shit looks nice man. Still don't know if I like the fit. The fit on that dude doesn't look so good, but that shirt looks pretty nice.

[drapygo]

hmm, from what i see from the pictures, there's some kind of line/stitching going down the center.

i wish they had a size 29 or 28, hopefully it shrinks a lot.

[pacioli]

Tube tees are actually knit, not woven, on circular knitting machines which generally create cloth by looping yarns. Different yarn insertion method from shuttle weaving looms.

If anything tube denim is probably more similar to double faced fabric in principal.

So it's woven like some t-shirts are woven? Shit looks nice man. Still don't know if I like the fit. The fit on that dude doesn't look so good, but that shirt looks pretty nice.

[raWorkshop]

I've been in the shop, was kinda non plussed by the denim but the pictures look better than I remember. They ride the name hard in the shop, little museum like display about the old mill etc.

[blm14]

This thread rocks because it's the only one I've seen yet not only showing beatle's face, but she's SMILING!

[Paul T]

Great info on your webiste, Henry, thanks for pointing it out. That closed-top jumper looks lovely. Looking forward to hearing more - and seeing new denims from Cone, too.

[denimformytummy]

seamless is unique to some, but..

seamless means no train-tracks and leg-twisting:(

[pacioli]

seamless is unique to some, but..

seamless means no train-tracks and leg-twisting:(

This seamless denim is not sanforized...it will twist and shrink a lot.

don't remember how the upper side seams are constructed but if the raw edges are tightly overlocked and busted open and ironed down you'll still get some kind of train track.

What seamless does mean is no selvage edge even though its woven on selvage looms.

Paul- hope you are well.